The Best 'Bromances' Ever

Because Seth Rogen and James Franco are the tip of the iceberg

Because Seth Rogen and James Franco's "Bound 2" parody is the tip of the iceberg

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Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

How they met: They grew up a couple blocks away from each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What came next: High school together, college apart, and ultimately, a home together as they wrote Good Will Hunting, which won them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Over the years, the duo has maintained contact, collaborating on a handful of movies, playing charity poker together, and shrugging off rumors that their bromance is more of a romance. Damon put those rumors to bed last year though, telling Playboy, "the whole thing was just gross."

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Paul Newman and Robert Redford

Paul Newman and Robert Redford

How they met: Director George Roy Hill introduced them in 1968 before filming Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

What came next: After playing cowboys together, Newman and Redford played con men in The Sting. They lived within a mile of each other in Connecticut and bonded over their shared passion for doing nice things. But it wasn't all tree-hugging and helping the less fortunate with these two. They also liked pranks. Think of them as George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but better-looking.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

How they met: They grew up a couple blocks away from each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What came next: High school together, college apart, and ultimately, a home together as they wrote Good Will Hunting, which won them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Over the years, the duo has maintained contact, collaborating on a handful of movies, playing charity poker together, and shrugging off rumors that their bromance is more of a romance. Damon put those rumors to bed last year though, telling Playboy, "the whole thing was just gross."

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Paul Newman and Robert Redford

How they met: Director George Roy Hill introduced them in 1968 before filming Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

What came next: After playing cowboys together, Newman and Redford played con men in The Sting. They lived within a mile of each other in Connecticut and bonded over their shared passion for doing nice things. But it wasn't all tree-hugging and helping the less fortunate with these two. They also liked pranks. Think of them as George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but better-looking.

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Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee

How they met: Probably as babies crawling around the Shire.

What came next: A lot of adventure. But first, for Sam, a spell as Frodo's gardener. Eventually the former laborer and his boss grew into excellent friends. While the bromance seems rather one-sided — Sam takes care of Frodo like he's a baby bird with broken wings — Frodo's love for Sam is evident in the way he kisses that disheveled mop top.

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ToeJam and Earl

How they met: At a sneaker shop on their home planet, probably.

What came next: Sega gave us these two cartoon aliens, one a three-legged red thing with Flava Flav-style jewelry and the other an orange blob in polka dot boxers, with the 1991 game that bears their name. The objective is to help them put their crashed spaceship back together so they can return home. Despite their dire circumstances, these two intergalactic dudes remain upbeat, likely because they have each other to talk to, burp with, and high-five, a move that results in the character with more health giving some to the character with less. Now that's a true bro.

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Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza

How they met: They went to Long Island's John F. Kennedy High School together.

What came next: A few years together at Queens College, and a lifelong friendship in which Jerry watched George mess up his life. Jerry may be the comedian, but there's no question that George is a more comic figure.

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Cheech and Chong

How they met: They were in Vancouver and they were immediately weirded out by each other. "We both had the same thought at the same time: 'What the hell is this guy?'" Marin recently told LA Weekly.

What came next: A long career of making movies, cutting albums, touring the country, and smoking weed. They had a falling out in the '80s, but eventually put the fighting behind them. Now they're back on tour, making jokes about smoking weed and trying their best to forget what their careers looked like when they were broken up.

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Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar

How they met: In high school.

What came next: Most notably, a cable-access show, which led to a bigger TV show, which was ruined by Rob Lowe. They share a love of hockey, heavy metal, and donuts. When Garth freaks out, Wayne knows what to say. And when Wayne mistreats Garth, he's not afraid to tell him to "take a flying..." Sometimes you have to be brutally honest.

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Achilles and Patroclus

How they met: As a boy,Patroclus and his dad were hiding at the palace of King Peleus. There, he and Achilles first crossed paths.

What came next: A spell living in a cave, where they learned the ways of the world from Chiron, the greatest centaur of them all. Achilles and Patroclus were schooled in the art of harp-playing and spear-hurling, which Patroclus used when he went to battle disguised as his best bud. This great bromance of antiquity did not die with Patroclus, who fell at the hands of Hector. Instead, Achilles honored him by taking revenge against the killers and then having an athletic competition (boxing! wrestling! racing!) to honor him.

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Han Solo and Chewbacca

How they met: Ordered to kill Chewbacca by an Imperial officer, Han refused, getting himself booted from the military and gaining a lifelong friend.

What came next: A simple life as a couple of smugglers, at least until a chance run-in with an old Jedi and a young Luke Skywalker. Before long, Han and Chewie were mixed up with the Rebel Alliance, but that didn't change things with them. Whether they were operating on space's black market or fighting off Stormtroopers, they were doing it side-by-side.

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Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham

How they met: Unknown, but probably hanging out in the Capitol while Graham was a plucky representative from South Carolina and McCain was an old-but-not-so-old senator from Arizona.

What came next: Their first public date happened in early 2000, when Graham endorsed McCain for the GOP nomination and the old man from Arizona called Graham, 19 years his junior, "my sword and shield." Then they started running around the country together and haven't yet stopped. Like any good bromance, they balance each other. McCain has the gravitas and respect; Graham has the silver tongue and vigor. With Graham, McCain has an energetic and loyal attack dog, and with McCain, Graham has a chance to inherit the spot of grumpy Senate grandpa.